McALLEN - Valley residents will have more transit options available beginning in September 2013 when Metro Connect begins service, providing express transit among McAllen, Brownsville, South Padre Island, and the University of Texas-Pan American.

The routes will be serviced by Valley Transit Company, making the project a public-private partnership featuring municipalities leveraging $313,222 in local funds to pay for the nearly $1.9 million project.

Construction has ended at McAllen’s Central Station and at Brownsville’s La Plaza, connecting the two, along with South Padre Island, will be the next step.

Design work is continuing on South Padre Island’s new transit hub, which SPI Transit Director Jesse Arriaga said will be multimodal and feature a transfer station.

The green line connecting McAllen to UTPA will cost 50 cents for students and $1 for other riders. The red line will take passengers between McAllen and Brownsville for a $5 fare and will include connections to Valley Transit’s Harlingen terminal.

The blue line, which will run between South Padre Island and Brownsville, will make stops at the Brownsville SPI International Airport as well as downtown, and will be a free service.

The express routes will run 365 days a year, and will feature free Wi-Fi service.